We’re Back!

04 May We’re Back!

WE’RE BACK!!! Actually, we never left, but you may have thought so because you haven’t heard from us in a couple of weeks. We are very sorry that our email delivery system has been experiencing difficulties and hope you have missed us as much as we have missed you. The battle to save the family NEVER stops! It is relentless but the good news is, so are our efforts to do so. We have not missed a beat in our role as your watch dog, your voice of defense and your warrior in the cause of preserving the family–we just haven’t been able to tell you about it! Here’s a brief update of two very important UFI involvements:

World Congress of Families

United Families International is proud to co-sponsor World Congress of Families VI in Madrid Spain. This global gathering of individuals and organizations is a powerful force for good in the pro-family movement. Educating, networking, and inspiring exhibits by experts and layman a like offer an incredible opportunity to feel the strength of the pro-family movement as well as receiving ammunition for articulating the newest information in defense of family issues. As a co-sponsor we will be hosting a UFI booth and speaking at this wonderful conference. I invite you to give special attention to this message from World Congress of Families. We would love for you to join us in Madrid in May.

UN Commission on Population and Development

Outrageous “Rights” for Young People Kept at BayOne can only imagine what the most recent UN commission’s resolution and outcome document would have looked like if the pro-family forces hadn’t been there. Friday, April 27, saw the completion of the week long gathering for the UN Commission on Population and Development. This year’s theme for CPD, “Adolescents and Youth,” ensured that there would be a battle on some critical issues. Parental rights, abortion, comprehensive sex education, challenges to the sovereign right of countries, promotion of “sexual rights” and rights related to sexual orientation – all these issues were front and center throughout the week.

Still stinging from their losses during this year’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the opposition showed up with large forces ready to push their agenda upon the rest of the world.

International Planned Parenthood (IPPF) and many leftist youth groups came early and worked overtime to promote their positions.

At one point in the CPD negotiations, the draft document contained 46 references to abortion and some 100+ references to some form of the controversial phrase “reproductive health rights/services.” Yet language related to proper development of countries was barely mentioned at all. In fact, pro-family forces tried all week to move the discussion away from “sex” (abortion, sexual rights and reproductive rights, comprehensive sex education, sexual orientation, gender identify) to ways to truly assist young people through effective development policy.

Anti-family groups are touting their “wins,”from last week, but the fact is they advanced their anti-family agenda little and arguably not at all. In a hard-fought “win” (one that was opposed by Hillary Clinton’s U.S. delegation), the Millennial Development Goal #8 (on development) is now mentioned in the outcome document; abortion went from 46 to five mentions and the language notes a country’s sovereignty over laws on abortion. There is no mention of “sexual rights,” “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” and the term “comprehensive sex education” was diluted to the ambiguous phrasing of “comprehensive education on human sexuality…” That may seem like a distinction without a difference, but at the UN -those nuances matter.
Your right as a parent to direct your child’s education and the information they are given was also acknowledged with the language “Recognizing the rights, duties and responsibilities of parents…” Hard to imagine that would be controversial language, but it is a victory to get even a simple mention of “parents” included in these UN documents.

A huge “thank you” to everyone in the pro-life/pro-family coalition and the work on CPD. Although not able to completely reverse the damage being done by those who oppose traditional values, CPD is a brilliant example of a small group of people doing great things against great odds.

Moving Forward

United Families International is now back providing ongoing updates on our efforts to protect and preserve the family. We will continue to provide you with the information you need to understand, articulate, and defend the family on the fronts YOU have influence over. We are more aware than ever that preserving the family is everybody’s business! None of our “heavy lifting,” leg work, research, converting plans into action is completely of our own doing. No accomplishment is possible without your support. You are the key to all of our work.

Without your continued financial and moral support and without your volunteerism, we could accomplish nothing. We celebrate families, but without you, our opponents would be celebrating great victories in their attempts to undermine parents and families around the world.

There are many challenges ahead, many serious issues with which we are all concerned. Please consider a contribution so that we can continue this important work–and this successful partnership in preserving a future for the family!